Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or anyone else except for my semi-unimportant original characters.
OOOOOOOOOO
This Is Forever
Chapter 7: "Destined To Fall"
There was something different in the early morning. Everything was abnormally still and silent. The sun was rising in the east, but not one note was sung from any bird; not even a crow.
The air was still, but felt like ice to touch. The sun offered little help from the icy bitterness. The weather was highly unusual for that season, for it was summer upon the mortal realm.
Misao shivered and awoke with a start. Something was wrong in the air. As a priestess, she was trained to read the signs of nature to see if something was wrong. Her teeth clattered together in both cold and fear.
Unusual weather like that was not a good sign, for it could mean the wrath of the head god, Tengoku-sama. Was he in a horrible mood? Was the mortal realm doomed to suffer this until everything was well?
Could… could this weather have something to do with Kaoru-sama?
At that thought, Misao wrapped her futon blanket tighter around her body to keep her warm, and she left her bedroom. She walked down the hallway a few rooms over and carefully tapped on the wood.
"Aoshi-sama?" Misao called to him in a high whisper.
"You can come in, Misao." The soft voice greeted her, allowing her entrance.
Misao silently opened the shouji door, stepped inside, and closed it behind her in the same silent manner. When she turned around, she saw Aoshi was awake; his futon carefully folded away in the corner, and he sat in the middle of his room, meditating.
"Aoshi-sama, you're up early." Misao noted after her eyes wandered the room to finally rest on the priest.
"As are you, Misao." Aoshi replied, opening his eyes to look at her for the first time since she entered.
"This weather—"
"I know." Aoshi shortly replied, and he looked at the girl wrapped in her futon blanket, and down to her feet where the ice-blue orbs rested on them. "It's not good to walk around bare-footed in this cold."
"Oh; my tabi socks are all in the wash."
Aoshi did not reply; instead, he carefully watched the shivering girl before him. Those beautiful aqua-marine eyes told everything; she was worried and scared, but when they looked at him, those same orbs melted into warm softness and her courage resurfaced anew.
What Misao did not know, however, was that the courage that came into place after she looked at him, was already there; waiting to be used.
Aoshi have the girl a hand gesture that commanded her to sit in front of him, and she did so, still wrapped in her blanket, without any hesitation.
As soon as Misao sat down, Aoshi wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to him. Promptly, the girl blushed at her mentor's uncharacteristic action, but she soon melted into him; breathed in his sent and snuggled closer to his warm body.
She loved him; not the love that was temporary and would dissipate as the years progressed, but the love that was undying. She would give her life for him without question or hesitation.
Perhaps the priest knew this, and feared that; maybe that was why moments like that were rare because he wanted to push her away so she would not commit such an act.
One thing was for certain that was written in Fate's book and will be so unto eternity: Aoshi could not exist without Misao, and Misao could not exist without Aoshi. It was the way it was, whether mortals try to renounce it or not.
Mortals could not undo what is already written and what is forever. Even gods and demons were bound to the never-ending destiny written for them.
"Aoshi-sama…" Misao whispered, closing her eyes as the uneasiness that was in her slowly flowed away with her mentor's easy breathing and easy heartbeat.
His heart beat was steady; not pounding out of control like her heart was. The priestess already knew this; knew that Aoshi would never love her the way she loved him, but she accepted it.
It's alright; as long as I can be near him, it's alright.
Suddenly the phone downstairs started ringing, ending the magical moment. Aoshi's warm arms released their hold on Misao, and he got up to answer it.
"Hello, this is the Aoiya that is not open at this time." Aoshi answered as Misao came down the stairs.
"Aoshi-sama." Misao simply said in a warning voice to remind him of his behavior.
"What?" Aoshi exclaimed, not hearing Misao's light scolding. "Shin-Kawabata Hospital? Who…?"
For the first time in a long while, Aoshi's face showed emotion. His eyes slowly moved over to the girl standing next to him, still wrapped in her futon blanket, and then slowly up to the hallway where the many bedrooms were.
"Are you sure?" Aoshi whispered to the other person on the phone, his eyes still resting upstairs.
Misao quickly dropped her futon blanket and ran upstairs as fast as her feet could go. She ran down the row of bedrooms, her feet pounding on the wooden floor, and she opened the shouji to the room that Kaoru resided in.
"Kaoru-sama!" Misao shouted, but found the room empty. The futon in the corner was still folded neatly like it was last night. The goddess, Kaoru, had not slept there the previous night. "Kaoru-sama…"
A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder, and Misao quickly looked at the owner to the hand. "Aoshi-sama… she…"
"I'm going to Shin-Kawabata Hospital." Aoshi announced, heading towards his room to change clothes. "I suspect Kaoru-sama might be there."
Still, how… can a goddess end up in the hospital?
"I'm also going!" Misao exclaimed, heading towards her room.
"Someone needs to explain to everyone else what happened when they wake up." Aoshi said, watching the stubborn girl head towards her room.
"They won't wake up until later." Misao exclaimed, already untying the knot on her waist, belonging to her robe. "We'll explain then."
Aoshi knew there was no more arguing or persuading to be done since Misao was half way in her room to dress, and the priest saw her naked backside with only her underwear covering the rest.
The girl could be so stubborn.
OOOOOOOO
The sun would not rise for the goddess that day.
Kaoru slept, but the pain in her side was still great. Was that what the mortals called a "drug educed sleep?" To be asleep, yet still feel the pain?
Kaoru moaned in pain as a sharp feeling increased. Suddenly, her eyes opened; the feeling of the sharp pain started flowing through her body. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out; nothing could come out.
Her blood felt like it was on fire while every nerve in her body ached and pinched. Was she dying? Was that what dying felt like?
Kaoru's body arched in almost spasmodic pain; her hands twitched, her breathing halted. She could not move, not even to end the pain flowing through her skin. She wanted nothing more than to rip and tear her skin off, but for the life of her, she could not; all she could do was lay there in near-spasm pain.
To steady herself, Kaoru forced her hands to hold on to the railing on both sides of her bed, even though it caused her more pain. The pain; oh, the pain was unbearable and she was being forced to live though it.
The pain slowly ebbed away after what seemed like an eternity of pain. After it completely vanished, Kaoru's eyes slowly closed to sleep as if she had never undergone torture of that extreme degree.
The sun would not rise for the goddess that day.
OOOOOOO
"Tokio! Tadai ima!" Saitou called out as he entered the front door to his home.
"Okaini nasai, Anata!" Tokio answered from the kitchen as she made her way to the front door in order to properly greet her husband.
When the mortal woman came into view, she bowed to her husband in the traditional Japanese way. Saitou handed Tokio his police uniform shirt and white gloves. It was then that the mortal woman saw the smaller man standing behind her husband.
"Anata, do we have a guest?" Tokio asked, politely bowing to the strange red-head, but not in the same deepness that she did for her husband. It was a bow signifying respect, but not quite inviting, or to be welcome.
"Oh, him." Saitou mumbled, not knowing why he brought the Demon Prince to his own home. It was like he was begging for trouble. "This is my father's old friend's son. I wish for him to dine with us tonight."
"It will be done." Tokio replied in obedience for her husband, although in truth, she really did not like the shifty stranger. "What did you say your name was, sir?"
"I didn't."
"Pardon?" Tokio said, half surprised at the man's rudeness.
"I didn't say my name." was another reply from the man with red hair.
"May I have it then?" Tokio asked, gesturing for the man to take off his geta.
The stranger obeyed, and when he took off his geta, he finally answered, "Himura."
"Himura-san?" Tokio mimicked, only respectfully placing the "san" honorific to the end of the stranger's name. "Is that your real name?"
Battousai seemed quite surprised that the mortal woman seemed so respectful, and minds her place, yet she was still very clever.
"That is my last name, Saitou Tokio-san."
The woman looked at him suspiciously with her unusual grey-blue eyes, and she gestured for her husband's guest to follow her.
While he followed the mortal, Battousai briefly glanced at Saitou, whom was staring back at him with the coldest amber eyes the Demon Prince had ever seen. The way they observed his every move reminded the prince of a wolf stalking his prey… or rather, someone who they thought was overstepping their boundaries.
Yet the look in Saitou's eyes told Battousai that he had said, or done something wrong, and that the wolf would have a word with him.
Tokio lead Battousai down the hall and into the living room. "My husband will be with you shortly, so please make yourself comfortable."
"Arigatou, Tokio-san."
"I'm only doing this because my husband brought you here, and while you're in my presence, you call me 'Saitou Tokio-san,' because I am married, and I do not wish for you and me to be on a first name basis."
With that, the woman left with a swing of her hips. Battousai shrugged his shoulders, not really caring what the mortal thought of him. He then wondered if Tokio knew about her husband being a half demon.
While his two hosts her not present at the moment, Battousai looked around the living room; observing it and taking everything in with hard amber eyes.
There was a table in front of him made out of red wood, but was waxed over to make it appear shining and smooth. It was traditionally low to the ground, and cushions were place carefully around it.
Along the walls were old, probably original, paintings of dancing geisha,or geiko, in their amazingly printed kimono. They danced like they had just stopped in time to be captured for life. They were full of wondrous beauty and eyes that could have captured anyone's heart; mortal or demon.
They moved in sensuous ways with the careful sway of their hips; their hair was carefully decorated and pined up to make their face fuller.
The way the geisha on the walls were, made Battousai think of Saitou's wife, Tokio. The woman displayed obedience, following her husband's command, yet there was a presence of power within her.
Tokio's hair was pined up, but not as sensually decorated as the geisha. Her own hair style was simple, the way a housewife usually was. Her kimono, however, was silk instead of cotton. It was a red that reminded Battousai of blood. Her hair was coal-black, but her interesting eyes were a grey-blue.
Though she displayed politeness, Tokio had a way of lifting her chin up in defiance without it being obvious.
Tokio was, indeed, and interesting woman who was traditional in her own way. The house was as traditional as the mistress who kept it; or, perhaps, the wolf's wife was planning on a special evening with just her and her husband. Maybe that would explain the kimono she was wearing, and her reason for her irritableness towards the prince.
Smiling in his own cruel way, Battousai placed himself traditionally on the cushions while sitting on his legs, and looked at the geisha dance on the walls some more.
OOOOOOOOOO
"I would like a word with you, Hajime." Tokio exclaimed, closing the shouji behind her.
Saitou sighed, knowing that Tokio was more demanding a word with him, rather than asking for one. The wolf sat on the futon he and his wife shared, and took off his socks.
"Where do you dig up people like him?" Tokio asked, gesturing towards the living room.
"What ever do you mean, koneko?" Saitou asked, taking off his black shirt, which was always worn with his police uniform.
The wolf tossed it down on the floor, at which his wife place small, soft hands on her hips. Saitou looked his wife up and down, noting she wore her best kimono; her favorite kimono that she was wearing when he proposed to her, although he was not down on his knees. There was no way he would ever be down on his knees.
"You look nice, koneko." Saitou complemented as he unbuckled his black belt, took it out of the loops, and dropped it to the floor as well.
"Hajime," Tokio started, her soft lips twisted in such a way that made her look like she was pouting. "I was planning on talking with you this evening over dinner."
Saitou paused in the middle of unzipping his pants, and then he looked at his wife with stern, golden eyes; the same eyes that made suspects break and confess their crimes had no effect on his own wife.
"No." Saitou said simply, standing up to take his pants off, and he also dropped them to the floor. "It's out of the question."
Tokio was just as stubborn as her husband, and as she picked his clothes up off the floor to hang them up, she spoke. "Hajime, I don't understand why you keep refusing me."
"I don't understand why you're so defiant and keep insisting." Saitou countered, watching his wife hang up his clothes where she carefully arranged his clothes; work uniforms went with work uniforms, and common clothes went with common clothes.
"Just one, anata; just one is all I want."
"Just one is too much."
Tokio turned back to her husband, not caring that they were having a small quarrel while he stood his ground, naked. Her eyes glistened and misted over, and Saitou mentally sighed, knowing what his wife was about to do.
"Why don't you want to have children, Hajime?" Tokio sniffed, and drops of salty tears streamed down her face. "Am I not good enough to bare you a child?"
On the outside, Saitou appeared stern and calm, but inside he was as nervous as giddy school girl around her first crush. Within him was a war of thoughts of what to say in response to his wife's guilt-trip question.
You are a wonderful woman; you'll make a wonderful mother, so let's have children.
Hell no.
I'm like a child myself, so why don't you think of me as a child, and we'll be okay without the real thing.
No way.
Tokio, I'm not the fathering type.
Nope.
"Tokio, I'm not the fathering type." Saitou mentally cursed himself when the sentence came out unexpectedly. "No; just no, koneko."
Tokio's eyes left her husband and went down to the floor. "Why do you not want children, Hajime?"
Saitou did not answer as he went to his closet for his regular clothes. Deciding on what he wanted, the half demon sat back down on the futon.
"It was hard growing up for me." Saitou finally answered, and Tokio also sat next to him.
"That was then, anata." Tokio explained, placing a kiss on her husband's cheek. "Our children won't have to put up with what you did. The words 'filthy half breed' will never be heard by our children's ears. I promise you, Hajime."
Saitou shook his head, knowing he could not win against his headstrong wife, no matter how stubborn he was himself.
"So, do you want to start now?" Saitou asked, and smirked when Tokio blushed.
"Not with that man across the hall!"
OOOOOOO
The sun was rising in hues of red and purple by the time Tokio and Saitou came out of their room. Tokio entered the living room, and promptly stopped when she saw the expression the redheaded man was wearing.
It was as if all his masks fell from his face, and he was wearing his real one. He was looking at the paintings of the geisha, but he did not seem to know she was there.
His amber eyes were soft, almost sad, and his eyebrows were turned upward in a sense of passion and dejection.
He looked so believable, and Tokio felt sorry for him, wondering what the man could possibly be thinking of for him to have that sort of anguish.
"Himura-san," Tokio said, and she saw all the masks fall back into place, and then he looked at her. "Breakfast is ready if you're ready to eat."
"Arigatou, Saitou Tokio-san." Battousai replied softly, and he bowed to her, and allowed her to lead the way towards the dinning room.
As he headed towards the dinning room, Battousai thought back on those paintings of the dancing geisha. The more he looked at the painted geisha, the more he was reminded of… her. The goddess he had harmed.
Of course, in Battousai's eyes, there was no way, in heaven or hell, that geisha could ever compare to the goddess he faced twice. It was not the wondrous beauty of the goddess. It was not the elegance. It was the stubborn, defiant way she faced him.
So lost Battousai was in guilt and insaneness, he did not even hear Saitou's wife enter the room. To make matters worse, she must have seen him without his unemotional face, for the look on her face told him so.
How was that princess doing? Was she going to be alright? Battousai mentally shook his head when questions of the goddess he hated so much attacked him mercilessly. Even then, it still plagued him; the concern for her well-being.
OOOOOOOO
By the time Kaoru opened her crystal-blue eyes, there were two figures looking at her in disbelief.
The first was Misao; her blue eyes were widened with shock. It was a certain shock that made a chill flow down Kaoru's spinal cord.
The other was Aoshi; his ice-blue eyes looked at her with an expression that was completely unreadable to her.
That made Kaoru's heart pound with uneasiness, for she could always read Aoshi's emotions, no mater how well he hid them.
"Kaoru-sama, are you alright?" Misao asked, her eyebrows frowned in uncertainness.
Kaoru groaned when the wound on her side ached. Something was different about her; she could feel something different about herself.
Placing a hand on her forehead, Kaoru spoke while sitting up, "Where am I?"
"Shin-Kawabata Hospital." Aoshi simply answered, looking the goddess he worshiped up and down, over and over again.
"I remember I had a sword fight with Battousai…" Kaoru whispered to herself and she trailed off when she had images rush into her mind.
Memories and images of Battousai wounding her with his Hell Blade, and then the look in his eyes when he suddenly stopped driving the blade further into her side, assaulted Kaoru's mind. It was a look of shock, guilt, and uncertainness, almost to the point of uneasiness.
"According to the nurse at the front desk," Aoshi exclaimed, sitting down in a near-by chair. "Battousai brought you here."
"He brought me here?" Kaoru repeated in disbelief, turning the statement into a question. "Why would he do something like that?"
She remembered his amber eyes growing wider in shock; for a brief moment, he questioned his motives; questioned his blood as a Demon Prince.
"Yes, Battousai brought you here." Misao confirmed, sitting on the corner of Kaoru's hospital bed. "Though the nurse didn't know his name, he gave such a descriptive image that we're very sure it was him."
Kaoru shook her head, and looked down at her hands. What she saw startled her; while her skin still held the smooth, creamy look to it, the "immortal glow" to it was no longer present.
Panicking at this, Kaoru jumped from her bed and into the bathroom on her left side. She flipped on the lights, and stared at her reflection.
Her long, coal-black hair, that she took great pride in, was mutilated; cut short a little more than half way up her neck. Her eyes were what put salt on the wound. While they were still crystal-blue, they lacked the "goddess glow" she always had in them since she was born.
Kaoru wrapped her arms around her body, feeling it slowly die and waste away as the seconds ticked by. Her eyes were as wide as they could be, and her small mouth hung open.
She was mortal, and she was looking at herself with her new mortal eyes. Suddenly, her crystal eyes misted and the image of her in the mirror blurred. The salty liquid spilled over the rim of her eyes and flowed down her cheeks.
"That's not me!" Kaoru cried, falling to her knees. Misao was by her side in an instant, wrapping her arms around the fallen goddess. "I'm not a mortal! I'm not a mortal! I'm a goddess!"
Misao looked helplessly up at her mentor, Aoshi, with her arms still around Kaoru, holding her and giving her what little comfort she could.
"Kaoru-sama is in great danger, Aoshi-sama." Misao stated, not knowing what to do about the goddess, whom was now mortal. "If we don't think of something soon, there will no longer be a Kaoru-sama anymore."
The sun would not rise for the goddess that day.
OOOOOOOOO
"That meal was very delicious, Saitou Tokio-san." Battousai exclaimed, placing his chopsticks on the table, and giving a small bow with his head, for he was still sitting down. "Arigatou."
Tokio nodded, got to her feet and started gathering the dishes. "I will get the after meal tea started."
Saitou nodded to his wife when she took his plate; his way of thanking her while company was around.
The dinning room was just as traditional as the living room, with the low table, and cushions for sitting. They were soft, silky cushions that one would love to sit on, thus making company appreciated.
"Your wife seems to love the old Japanese traditions, ne?" Battousai stated a question as he looked at the cushions and red oak table.
"We both do, but Tokio more so than I." Saitou replied, and then shot the demon a dagger look. "I also have something to discuss with you."
"Nani desu ka?"
"The way you were rude to my wife when you first came in," Saitou started, his voice low and dangerous, yet it had no effect on the prince. "I will not tolerate it."
"Wakatta desu."
"I never tolerate anyone being rude to my wife."
"Wakatta desu." Battousai repeated his understanding, yet this time it was with a smirk.
"What're you smirking for?" Saitou demanded to know.
"Bitsuni." Battousai replied, and then shook his head. "Nothing; it's just… you seem to really love her."
Saitou did not reply, giving no denial to the almost accusation, nor did he confirm it. Tokio came in with the green tea, placed the tray on the table, took the small tea cups from the fancy silver tray, and placed it in front of each man. She poured her husband's tea first, and then she filled Battousai's cup, and poured her cup last.
Battousai held up the cup to his nose, and he cautiously sniffed it, having never tasted green tea before.
"It is not sake, sir." Tokio exclaimed, puzzled as to why the guest was treating the tea like he was drinking the rice beer.
"Oh, I was only wondering what sort of tea this is." Battousai replied, not being rude in anyway, yet he was not about to apologize for a blunder he did not know about.
"Its green tea," Tokio replied, her puzzlement graduated to confusion. "How do you not know about the traditional tea?
"Himura-san is not originally from here." Saitou answered for the Demon Prince. "He's from the south."
"The deep south." Battousai added, taking a sip of the green liquid. "This is delicious, Saitou Tokio-san. Arigatou."
"You're welcome." Tokio finally replied, also taking a sip of her tea.
Battousai finished his tea, and was about to ask for some more, when he felt a very familiar presence. While it was not close, it was certainly not too far, either. It was a very threatening aura, and the prince knew who it was from.
"Daijoubu?" Tokio asked, seeing the guest's amber-gold eyes widen impossibly; his body looked suddenly like a sculpture.
Snapping out of his trance, Battousai place his cup down on the table gently, and bowed to the host and hostess of the early morning.
"Forgive me," Battousai exclaimed, quickly getting to his feet. "Something has come up, and I must go to counter it."
"Of course," Tokio replied, not knowing whether she should be relieved that he was leaving, or be offended. "Perhaps you can stop by another time when nothing is ailing you."
"Maybe I will take that offer." Battousai replied, bowing once more, and headed towards the front door, with Saitou following. Tokio was about to get up and show their guest to the door, for it was tradition, but her husband shook his head, mentally telling her to break tradition just this one time.
When they got to the door, Saitou stopped the prince with a question, "What is going on?"
"Saitou," Battousai started, clearly facing him. "Have you heard of the mortals talking about the 'Apocalypse'?"
"Hai; for several hundred years… maybe even thousands."
"How soon do you think it will happen?"
"No one knows for sure." Saitou replied with a shrug.
"Do you know the details of the Apocalypse?" Battousai asked, a feeling in his stomach started to grow.
"No, and I really don't care."
"Start caring, Saitou, for I think the Apocalypse will happen within your wife's lifetime; and with the princess as a mortal… it will happen."
"What, is your father coming up from the pits of hell to take over the mortal realm?" Saitou asked, fear growing for his wife's safety, but his outward appearance did not show it.
"Could be; it's not the presence I feel, but I know this other demon might be the one who brings forth the one horrible time that mortal have been fearing for generations; the start of a bloody Revolution. Worse… I think I'm the seed that started it."
Saitou did not reply; his mind worked feverishly to comprehend the fact that the "Apocalypse" could happen soon.
"I must go." Battousai exclaimed, opening up the door. "Tell Tokio-san to hold off on having children for now."
The Demon Prince left before Saitou could say anything, and he ran out in the unnatural cold weather.
Enishi, you … what're you doing here!
To Be Continued…
OOOOOOOOOO
AN: (authoress falls over when she notices a lot of readers and reviewers knew authoress was going to turn Kaoru into a mortal) Is there a lot of readers who are psychic and can read my mind, or am I just too obvious? Maybe I need to be a little more discreet.
For some of you who noticed: yes, the line "…from the south. The deep south." comes from the movie Little Nicky. I couldn't resist borrowing it for just a pinch of humor. I hope you readers understand. (anime smile)
OOOOOOOOO
royal blueKitsune: I'm glad you liked the battle scene! I know more and more battle scenes will start coming up as the story progresses (obviously), so I'm up for the challenge. How did almost everyone know I was going to turn Kaoru into a mortal? Was I that obvious? Kaoru throw a tantrum? Kind of… but then again, wouldn't you if you were immortal, and knew you could never die, and then all of a sudden, you're mortal and now you have the possibility of dying; never to be in heaven again if that happens? I'm trying to get my chapters written up as soon as possible, but with only one day to do it, it's kinda hard. I'll try though! (anime smile) Thank you so much for your review!
Akai-Kumori: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much for your review, and please email me again!
Kim: Now Battousai doesn't know what to do, because everyone is going to be after his coughcough I mean, Kaoru. Thank you so much for your review!
Valkyrie of the Rohirrim: "I hope Akira makes Battosai jealous…" (evil laugh) Me also likes green-eyed Battousai. (grin) Saitou has always been a good guy… well, kinda. He just does things… his own way. I updated now for the sake of the sexy hitokiri. (anime grin) Thank you so much for your review!
Via x Infinito: Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday. Yes, 21 is for everything; drinking, gambling, smoking… oh wait, smoking is legal at 18. Where're you from? Ah, you seemed to write out the whole story for me (anime smile); but will Kaoru help him when the time comes? (evil anime grin) How did you know I was going to turn Kaoru into a mortal? Everyone seems to know! Yes, Kaoru doesn't like people constantly watching over her, hence, our darling character going out alone to face Battousai. I'll try not to rush the plot too much; I just fear getting an author/authoress' block. I hate those! Thank you so much for your review!
Jeez: Well… Kaoru has a bit of a problem with her goddess powers. (sweat-drop) I take it you don't like Megumi too much. Will you tell me why, and then I'll tell you why I have a tolerance for her? Thank you so much for your review!
Thereviewergirl: Yup, something major did happen… and is going to happen. Battousai wants her… but he just won't admit it, even to himself. I hope he comes to terms with his feelings soon… (anime smile) Injured her very badly would be the correct way of saying it, and not just physically. Thank you so much for your review!
lili boom: Thank you so much for your complements and your review!
Kinomoto: What will Kenshin do next? Stop the war, become a god, and marry Kaoru! Or, at least we hope. (anime grin) Don't worry; I didn't give the story or ending away. Thank you so much for your review!
Jodibetz: And you are another reader who knew I was going to turn Kaoru into a mortal. Do I give away too much? I agree Kaoru is good as a goddess (in cannon and fan fiction world), so I hope everything will turn out well for her. Thank you so much for your review!
Angel Himura: Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday, and happy birthday to you, too! (anime smile with birthday cake) I did have a lot of fun on my birthday… it was just the morning after that I didn't like. (anime smile with a nervous sweat-drop). Thank you so much for your review!
